My house is not selling so should I change agents?

We are delighted to introduce Mr Chris Wood of PDQ Property, one of our ‘twitter’ estate agent family, who has kindly provided the content for this blog, even if he didn’t know it at the time. We shall shortly be writing a blog about how this came to light, a tale of caution for those who read and replicate without permission. We hope that Chris forgives us and, hopefully, in the future, contributes to our blog!

It’s a question that many sellers face at some point but how do you know if the problem is your agent or the property itself? Properties don’t sell or generate viewings for all sorts of reasons, but it’s important to know why your property isn’t selling to nip the issue in the bud and find a buyer as soon as possible.

This may sound obvious, but if potential buyers do not know your home is for sale; how can they arrange a viewing and make an offer? Too often, this is a problem caused by the agent not marketing the property correctly.

Research shows that 88% of property searches start online. If your home isn’t on a number of well visited web portals (Rightmove, Zoopla etc), the chances are you are going to struggle to sell. Also, if your property is priced wrongly it could be showing right at the bottom of the list, rather than at the top! Sometimes just a few pounds could make all the difference, just think about the price range you might type in to find a property, would it necessarily have a 999 at the end of the number (for instance £299,999) or just be 000 (300,000).

A number of progressive agents such as Sewell & Gardner are also harnessing the power of social media (Facebook, Twitter etc) as well to help increase the number and quality of potential buyers looking at their customers properties. These social media sites direct traffic to our own website, where the property is featured in all it’s glory, including professional photos, floorplans and videos.

Of course, it always increases your chance of finding a buyer by having a board outside your home. Still the majority of people looking for a particular road or near to a good school etc, will drive around the town and look for the agency boards going up in the correct area.

Good agents are the ones who are honest with you about the condition of the property, its ability to generate a buyer and the price it might eventually achieve after a surveyor has been and any re-negotiations have taken place.

If you are not achieving any viewings, and it’s not because of a lack of marketing, the chances are that your price is putting buyers off. Your property may look absolutely gorgeous but, if the price is significantly over what the market will stand for that type of property, nobody will bother to view. Why? Because they don’t want to offend you by making a realistic offer or, believe that they will be wasting their time if they do.

Should I change agents?

Only you can answer that but ask yourself the following questions and you might have a better idea of the right answer for you:

1. Did I choose my current agent because I felt they offered the best service or because they told me what they thought I wanted to hear?

2. Have I played my part and presented my property at its best – neat, tidy, clean & inviting?

4. Do I receive regular calls and advice on the marketing of my property from my agent or; I am I having to constantly call them?

5. Do I trust my agent to be honest with me?

6. Does part of the problem lie with me?

If you are selling locally and are thinking about changing to an agent who can offer you the best service and help you achieve the highest possible price, please make sure you give Sewell & Gardner a call on 01923 776400.